The Assembler

As a woman who can’t eat dairy or gluten, there are a lot of foods that are off limits. And as I have learned to come to terms with what I can and can’t have, I have begun to broaden my horizons.

… we should probably use the phrase “come to terms” loosely. I very recently (last night) had a melt down when I realized I couldn’t have any stuffed crust pizza during the Super Bowl, but I digress.

In the past couple of weeks I started investigating. Every time the hubby and I visited the grocery store I bought at least one new thing, took it home, and incorporated it into a meal.

My findings included dates, tofu, spaghetti squash, mangos, black beans, canned pumpkin, and smoked salmon.

Now to save you the trial and error of what to do with these delicious breakthroughs in the kitchen, I thought I’d share my newest refrigerator staple, and today’s lunch, with you.

Ladies and Gentlemen, I present Smoked Salmon, sliced and ready-to-eat. It fits into my anti-cook/pro-assemble lifestyle very well.

You see, as much as I love a delicious, wholesome meal, I’m not that interested in waiting longer than 15 minutes to make it.

Feel free to blame the generation I grew up in and/or my inability to gage how hungry I am until I’ve reached a state of famishment.

Whichever may be the case, with my impatient stomach leading the way, I have become quite the assembler.

Assembler (n): One who puts together foods that re already prepared together to create a dish or meal, but does little to no cooking of ingredients involved.

Today’s lunch can act as a prime example of my assembling skills and how I incorporate smoked salmon into a fun, simple, and healthy meal.

Smoked Salmon Salad

Ingredients:

Lettuce Mix (Spinach, Kale, Arugula)

2 thin slices of Smoked Salmon

½ of a Honey Crisp apple diced

5 Green Grapes cut in half

1 handful of Walnuts

1 handful of Cranberries

1 teaspoon of Chia Seeds

The combination of ingredients serves as a nutritious lunch without boring your palates.

This salad is full of flavor, filling from the protein in the walnuts, salmon, and chia seeds, and delicious. The walnuts add the perfect amount of crunch, while the fruit combines with the smoked flavor of the salmon scrumptiously.

The best part is how simple it is to toss together the night before work, and take with you (as long as you have a refrigerator to store it in until lunch time). I had mine all packed, ready to go, until I found out it was a snow day…

Happy Monday (:

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